Filming of HBO series 'Success', directed by Oscar winner Danis Tanović, set to start in Zagreb

The filming of Uspjeh (Success), a six-part series directed by Oscar winner Danis Tanović and produced by HBO Europe and HBO Adria, will start at the beginning of March in Zagreb. The series, written by Marjan Alčevski, is one of the winners of the HBO Adria ‘First Draft’ contest.

Uspjeh (Success) is a multi-layered drama focused on strong characters. Three complete strangers will be tied together through a series of unfortunate events when they try to help an assault victim. As the consequences of their actions seep into every aspect of their lives, these everyday people of differing backgrounds decide to take back control of their lives. It is a bitter ode to the city of Zagreb which brings dark insight into various structures of today’s society through the lives of ordinary people driven over the edge by that same society. Though at first glance it seems like a typical Zagreb tale, Uspjeh (Success) is a universal, layered story which, through love, work, family, loyalty, insecurity and crime, delves into the currently reigning feelings of frustration, helplessness and passivity in the lives of everyday people in the region and beyond.

Success will be Tanovic’s television drama debut. The Bosnian filmmaker won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film for No Man’s Land in 2001, and his recent credits include the Berlinale Silver Bear-winning films Death in Sarajevo and An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker.

Producers on the project are Johnathan Young (HBO Europe) and Ana Balentovic (HBO Adria), while the service producer is Zagreb-based production company Drugi plan.

“For a long time I’ve been getting offers to make series which I think, at the moment, are more interesting and inventive than the movies, but none of them intrigued me so far. Marjan Alčevski’s script is amazingly written, and I’m really happy that HBO has recognized its quality and given me the opportunity to collaborate on it”, said Tanović.

“Success is a beautifully-written drama that scratches beneath the surface of contemporary urban life, with a gripping story that unravels layer by layer. We’re thrilled to have uncovered a brilliant young writer in Marjan, and to be welcoming Danis to HBO Europe for his first television series – and to our first original drama from the Adria region”, said Antony Root, executive vice president of programming and production HBO Europe.

The filming of Uspjeh (Success) is supported by the Croatian Audiovisual Centre’s incentive program.